Turnabout Brothers
by eliasbloodmoon
Summary: Phoenix must defend someone he thought he'd never see again in the bloodiest case he has ever been involved in.


Prologue

_My name's Phoenix Wright. I'm a rookie defense attorney. The year is 2016, and many of the laws have changed. Now, it's my job to prove who's guilty and who's innocent. My first case, the defense of my old friend Larry Butz, was won in a matter of minutes, thanks to my boss Mia Fey. Unfortunately, soon after, she was killed, and her seventeen-year-old sister, a spirit medium named Maya Fey, was framed for the murder. After proving Maya's innocence, thanks to the help of Mia Fey through Maya's powers, Maya decided to join me as my assistant in the Wright and Co. Law Offices. Our first case together was the defense of Will Powers, an actor for Global Studios who plays The Steel Samurai: the title character of a show loved by ten year olds (and Maya). We were able to prove his innocence, and now we are waiting for another case to come in. But for some reason, I get a sinking feeling that something bad is going to happen in my next case. But it's most probably just my imagination._

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Chapter One  
Phoenix stared out his window at the city below. The office was silent; a strange event which hardly ever happened but always brought back memories of that night. Mia…

That's the phone rang; an even rarer occurrence. Phoenix instantly turned and rushed across the office and grabbed the phone.

"Hello, Wright and Co. Law Offices. Phoenix Wright speaking."

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Maya noticed two things as she stepped into Nick's office. First of all, Nick was on the phone, talking to a client. Yeah! A client! Second, Nick was shaking, like he was scared, if not surprised.

"Yeah…Uhuh…Of course...I'll be right over!" Nick slammed the phone on the receiver, ran over to his desk, pulled a camera bag out from under the desk, and ran over to the door, where Maya was standing.

"Hey Nick. What happened?" She said. Phoenix rushed out the door, grabbing her by the hand and dragging her. After the duo entered the elevator and the door closed, Nick began to explain.

"After the last few months of waiting, I finally got us a case!" He seemed to be over enjoying this.

"Yeah, Nick, I kinda got that when you dragged me out of the office with your camera bag after you got off the phone," Maya muttered, "What are the details?" The smile instantly wiped from Phoenix's face.

"See, that's the problem…"

"What is it, Nick?"

"The victim's name is Eric Salazar. The cause of death was being dragged by a tow truck hook which was stabbed in his neck. The witness was a jogger named Jennifer Banner. The suspect we are defending is Jonathan Wright." Maya raised an eyebrow.

"Wright? This guy related to you?" The elevator was thrown into silence for a minute.

"He's…my brother."

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Chapter Two

"WHHHHAAAAAAAAAT!!!!" Phoenix winced and covered his ear as Maya yelled, "Why didn't you tell me you had a brother?"

"Ummm…Because you never asked…?" Maya glared with her cheeks puffed out.

"But Mia told you about me!" She whined. Phoenix crossed his arms.

"I didn't even know you existed till the night before Mia… Anyways, you, she, and I were going to go out to dinner the night you were coming, so she told me about you." Maya nodded, and then thought for a second.

"You're just trying to stick on that subject just to keep it off your brother, aren't you?" She said. Nick winced, his plan figured out.

"So, tell me about him! What's he like? Is he a fan of The Steel Samurai? Does he have a girlfriend? Does he…"

"Jonathan…," Nick cut her off, "is a year older then me. And he was always the one to show off. He was always doing smaller crimes. You know, fire crackers in the toilet, harassing authority…And he was the one who everybody liked, and could always fit into any group. He was athletic, smart, good looking. Unlike him, all I had was good deductive reasoning. He was going out with all the women, and I didn't get a date till I was twenty-one, and that's…a story for another time. Well, only once did I ever help him in his criminal activities, and he ratted me out, and I took the blame. Ever since then, I've hated him. After high school, my parents forced him to boot camp, and I've never heard from him till now." Nick ended his story.

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Chapter Three

The entire taxi ride was silence, as was the time waiting for the guards to bring out Jonathan. Just by looking at Jonathan you could tell that he was the exact opposite of Phoenix. First of all, Nick had his hair spiked straight back, and Jonathan had his hair down in long, emo like bangs. Also, you could tell he didn't like to dress up. The man had on a cowboy hat, a black undershirt, and camo shorts, whereas Phoenix almost always wore his suit. The room seemed to get quieter, even in the silence, as the two stared at each other, until Jonathan broke the silence.

"Hello, Nicky. How's life treatin' ya?" He said as he placed his black, mud-covered boots onto the small shelf which held up the window. Phoenix glared at him and leaned forward.

"Jon, cut the small talk. I'm here to defend you remember." Jon chuckled.

"Come on, Phoenix, why do you always gotta take all the fun outta everything? Straight to business? You haven't even introduced me to your girlfriend back there." He pointed at Maya. Nick and Maya began rambling.

"Me and Nick…We aren't… Us two aren't…"

"Me and Maya aren't…We're just…Friends?" Jonathan broke into laughter again.

"So, are you going to introduce me?" He said. Phoenix came back to his senses.

"Jonathan, I would like you to meet my assistant slash spirit medium Maya Fey."

Maya grabbed Phoenix's shoulder tight and whispered into his ear, "Nick, I thought we weren't going to tell our clients about that."

"He's my brother. We can trust him with that."

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_Chapter Four_

Phoenix leaned forward and began rapping his fingers on the table as he drew a notebook out of his camera bag.

"Jonathan, exactly what happened?" He asked. The two locked eyes for a second, then Jonathan sighed.

"I was driving through the woods, in my car, when I ran over something and got a flat tire. So, I went and called a tow truck. When he came, I stepped into the truck. We argued over price, so after he hooked up my truck, I drove off in his truck. It seems that he tripped over a stump and fell onto the hook when I thought he had hooked up my car."

"How could you think a man falling onto a tow truck hook was your car being hooked up?" Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he said that he would yell when the hook was under the car, and to pull the one switch to make the hook lift. When he tripped, he yelled."

"And you didn't notice that he had, you know, tripped and fell?"

"I wasn't looking in my rear-view mirrors. At least I wasn't until I was almost out of the woods. At that point, I noticed the guy hanging on the hook. At that point, I yanked him off and drove away as fast as I could." Phoenix tapped his pencil against the notebook.

"Why were you in the woods anyways?" He said, at what was almost a whisper. Jonathan looked back at the door where the guards would take him after the visit.

"I put my life in your hands, little brother." Was all he said as he walked back towards the door.

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Chapter Five

Maya stared at Nick in between bites of her steak. She could tell when he was thinking deeply. But, there was something strange about it now. It was like he was scared. Maya sighed and put her fork down.

"Nick, what's wrong? You've been acting strangely for the last hour." She said. Nick jumped and looked at her.

"No, I'm fine. Just fine." He said. He sipped his wine and placed the glass back on the table. He seemed to float away again, his eyes staring at the blood-red liquid in the crystal glass.

"Nick," She said again, taking Nick away from whatever vision was in the glass, "I know you're lying. I've been with you long enough to know when people are lying. Now, tell me Nick. What's wrong?" Nick stared back down at the food he hadn't touched, and then looked up at her.

"Maya, have you ever had a moment, when you felt forced to do something for no apparent reason?" He took another sip of his wine. Maya raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, it's seems like my brother is suspicious. His story, while making sense, seems improbable!" He said, just quiet enough so that he wouldn't attract too much attention, "Plus, why wouldn't he give us an explanation to why he was in the woods. That's not helping or case. I…I don't know if he's guilty or not. What if I can't even get him off? I feel like I have to save him, or my life will be over." Nick began to cry softly, though not many tears came out. That's when he felt the warmth of Maya's hand on his. He looked up at her small smile.

"Nick, I'm sure you'll be able to help your brother. You've helped me, you're friend Larry, Mr. Powers...You've pretty much got this case in the bag." She said quietly. Nick smiled.

"Thanks" he said, and after a brief moment of silence, "Now, let's review the case. What do we gots?" Maya reached into Nick's camera bag and pulled out the notebook.

"Eric Salazar died in the Bellsong woods at ten-o'clock PM. Just wondering, how did those woods get that name?"

"Many years ago, there was a mission in those woods. The mission was attacked by Native American's, and everyone in said mission died. Legend has it that you can still here the bells of the old ruined mission late at night. Anyways, Eric, being a tow truck driver, was called into the woods by my brother, whose car had gotten a flat."

"And the reason Jonathan was even in the woods is still a mystery."

"Eric died, according to Jon, by tripping over something and landing onto the tow truck hook."

"Not liking the price and being a complete idiot, Jon planned on stealing the tow truck just to get the company POed."

"But little did her know, Eric had tripped, so Jon was now driving around with a corpse on his car." Maya finished the story. She put the notepad back in the camera bag.

"So, we still need to find out what Jennifer Banner saw." Nick said. The waiter came back to the table.

"Would you or your girlfriend like desert?" He said.

"We aren't dating!"

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Chapter Six  
The next day, Phoenix looked at the door of the apartment where Jennifer Banner lived. 22B, Baker Apartments. The entire apartment complex was divided into two buildings, building A and building B. Unfortunately; they weren't as labeled as one would hope.

"Well," Phoenix paused to catch his breath, "We're finally here." Maya leaned up against the wall.

"We ran up eleven flights of stairs just to learn we were in the wrong building and had to walk all the way back down and walk all the way up eleven more flights of stairs after walking over to another building!" Just by looking at Maya, you could tell she was mad.

"Well, look at it this way," He panted, "At least we got some exercise!" They both leaned up against the wall as they waited for their heart rate to slow down. Once that had happened, the two went and knocked on the door. When the door finally opened, a young woman opened the door. She was wearing a pink sweater and pink jogging pants. She had long red hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Hello, are you Ms. Jennifer Banner?" Nick asked. The young woman nodded with a big smile on her face.

"Yes, that's my name," She…I guess you could say cheered, "Don't wear it out!" Nick could hear Maya shuddering behind him.

"Ms. Banner, we're lawyers defending one Jonathan Wright in murder. We would like to ask you a few questions about what you saw." He said like he rehearsed.

"Yeah, sure, you two can come in." Phoenix looked around the apartment and was instantly blinded by pink. You could tell to things from the first impression of the apartment. One: The woman was obsessed with pink. Pink wallpaper, pink furniture, pink clothing in the laundry…Number Two: The woman was a health nut. She had random exercise objects all over the place. A few dumbbells on the floor, a treadmill over in the corner, one of those cool ball things. Nick and Maya sat down on the pink, furry couch as Jennifer walked into the kitchen.

"Would you like anything to eat or drink?" She asked. Nick and Maya turned towards the kitchen."

"What do you have to drink?" Nick replied.

"Water, V8…"

"That's it?"

"Yup!"

"What about snacks?"

"Every fruit and veggie imaginable."

"Then no thank you." Jennifer walked back into the room with a glass of V8 and an apple. That's when Nick noticed she had a cast on her leg.

"Well, what is it you wanted to ask me?" She took a bite of her apple. Nick took out his notebook and handed it to Maya.

"First of all, Ms. Banner, what's wrong with your leg?" Jennifer put her leg that was in a cast up on the (pink) coffee table.

"Well, see, I was jogging a few days ago, and I tripped and twisted my ankle." He looked as Maya wrote it down in the notebook.

"OK, well, on the subject of the crime, what happened on the day of the crime?"

"I was running through the woods. I was just following the path, when some crazy guy in a car drives by and cuts through the woods."

"Exactly what kind of car was it?"

"An orange Ferrari Enzo. That thing was beautiful." Maya tapped Nick on the shoulder.

"Nick, what's an Enzo?" Nick sighed.

"It's a car for people who make much more money then me. Look it up on wikipedia once we get back to the office," He said, "So, how close was the crime scene to that point?"

"I don't know. I actually saw the crime on my way back from my jog."

"So, what did you see of the crime?"

"Well, there were two men outside of a tow truck, talking. They were both looking at the  
hook and the car and were talking. One was the driver of the tow truck. All of the sudden the guy getting his truck pulled looks angry and starts pushing the other. They start pushing and shoving. The guy who started the fight starts walking towards the driver's seat of the tow truck, but before getting in, he turned and punched the victim, and he fell onto the hook. That's when the car drove off." She finished her tale. Nick nodded as he looked at the notebook.

"Thank you for your time, Ms. Banner." Nick stood up, "Now, we'll be leaving."

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Nick and Maya sat at the office, thinking.

"Do we have what we need to win tomorrow's trial?" Maya asked. Nick looked through the note book again.

"Well Maya, I think we have pretty much everything. There's one last thing I have to confirm."

"And what would that be Nick?"

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Chapter Seven

Phoenix stared at the ceiling of the defense lobby. It was what he did when he was thinking outside of the courtroom. With all the distractions on the sides and on the floor, it was the only thing he could concentrate on.  
_With all the info I have it, should be easy to break through the Jennifer's testimony. But…Is that going to be Edgeworth's main argument? Or, is he going to just pull something out from behind that gay looking frilly thing of his and surprise us all? Also, is what he pulls going to be real, or forged? With Jon's life on the line, I don't think I can screw this one up. He felt someone plop onto the couch next to him._

"Hello, Nick." Maya said. By looking at her, you could see she was sad, though it was hard to tell how or why.

"What's wrong Maya?" Nick sat up. Maya turned to him and gave a slight smile.

"I'm sorry. It's just…I don't know why but I can't summon Mia right now. I'm so sorry." Nick leaned over and put an arm around her.

"It's OK Maya. I need to do some attorney work on my own. It's kinda hard to call yourself a good attorney when the only way you can win a case is with the help of your dead superior." Maya smiled again, a bit bigger this time.

"Thanks Nick." That touching moment was interrupted by a loud laugh from a figure right in front of them.

"Yeah, sure you're not dating." Jonathan laughed. The duo looked up at him.

"I'm just comforting her, jeez. Anyway, why aren't you wearing a suit?" Jonathan looked down at his street clothes.

"Why did I have to wear a suit?"

"Because it makes a better impression then camo shorts and an undershirt." Nick glared at him.

"Anyways, court should be going in soon. Any other information you should tell us?" Maya asked Jon, "Like, is there anything you're not telling us? Something that really happened that you didn't tell us." Jon seemed to be looking a million miles away. That's when Nick heard two sentences that he would never forget.

"I'm staying silent about what happened." Jon said as he turned to walk into the courtroom. Phoenix ran up right behind him.

"But, that could be bad for you in the near future!" He pointed at the door to the courtroom.

"And isn't it your job to do something about that?"

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Nick took note of everything as he walked in. As usual, a crowd of people were on the top floor, watching the trial. The judge was the same. And in the prosecutors chair was Miles Edgeworth. Edgeworth's eyes seemed to look Jonathan up in down in a glare. But, the glare was unusual. It wasn't the, "My life sucks and I hate everyone cause I'm emo!" stare, but a, "I hate that man stare." And it was at someone other then Phoenix. The judge's gavel slammed down.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Jonathan Wright vs. the state. Is the prosecution ready?" Edgeworth nodded, "Is the defense ready?" Phoenix nodded, "Then, will the prosecution make an opening statement?" Edgeworth nodded once again.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the court, the defendant has committed a crime that on its own is heinous. But, he has committed murder in a sick, bloody, and violent way. I feel that, as the representative of the state, it is my job to put this man behind bars before anything else happens. I believe that I have to evidence to do that. Thank you." He ended with a bow.

"Now, Mr. Edgeworth, your first witness."

"I call to the stand, Detective Dick Gumshoe."

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Chapter Eight

Gumshoe strode up to the stand, and just by looking at him Nick could tell he was cocky. Just earlier he had gone on his rant about how Nick would lose because Edgeworth is the prosecutor. Yeah. Let's go with that.

"Detective, will you please tell us exactly what happened at the time of the crime?" Edgeworth said. Gumshoe nodded, walked over to a computer with a projector connected to it, and began explaining the crime.

"The defendant, Mr. Wright, was taking a drive through the woods. While he was in the woods, one of his tires popped. So, he called a tow truck. Our victim was the driver of said truck. The defendant and the victim started arguing about price. Then, the defendant pushed the victim onto the tow truck hook. Being stabbed through the neck, the victim died. At that point, the defendant hopped into the tow truck and drove off with the victim still on the hook." He explained. The Judge bowed his head in thought.

"How ghastly. Ugh! Anyways, Mr. Wright..." The Judge paused, "Mr. Wright, are you related to the defendant?" Nick sighed.

"Yes, your honor, I am. He's my brother." The judge nodded as a stream of boos came from the crowd. He slammed his gavel for silence.

"Well, I can honestly say that I know how hard this must be for you. Anyways, Mr. Wright, you may now begin the Cross-Examination."

"Thank you your honor," Nick flipped open his notebook, "Detective, do you have any known reason as to why my client was driving through the woods?" Gumshoe's eyes wandered over to Edgeworth, who gave a slight shake of his head.

"No, we have no idea why he was going through the woods." He said.

"Are you sure it was a popped tire? Is there not a possibility that he crashed into a tree?"

"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth's voice rang loud and clear throughout the courtroom, "How the defendant's car was messed up is irrelevant to the case."

"I'm going to have to agree with Edgeworth on this one." The Judge said.

"OK, your honor. Anyways, detective, was the price my client had to pay an outrageous price?"

"No, but, I've heard that some drivers try and make random things sound plausible as extra charges. Maybe the victim made an outrageous charge out of having to drive into the woods."

"So, how do you know the victim fell onto the tow truck hook?"

"Well, I would assume he fell onto the tow truck hook, see that he was stabbed through the neck with the friggin' thing."

"Ah….But, do you have any proof my client did this?"

"Well, he was driving the truck, and we have a witness."

"Thank you detective." Phoenix finished his examination. Edgeworth cleared his throat.

"Detective, I believe you have photos of the scene of the crime." He said. Gumshoe nodded.

"Note, these are pretty graphic, so those with weak stomachs might want to look away." He warned as he pulled out a series of photos. They were horribly graphic. There were trails of blood along the woods up until a picture of a man with a hook stabbed through the back of his neck, the pointy part poking through his mouth. Nick could hear Maya ready to puke next to him.

"Your Honor, the defense would like to call a recess."

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Chapter Nine

Phoenix escorted Maya all the way to girls' bathroom in the defense lobby, but didn't go any farther. He could hear Maya's coughs, and wanted to go in and help her, but, it was the girls' room, so all he could do was lean up against the wall until she was done.

"Well, it sounds like she thought that it was gross." Jonathan walked up and leaned up next to Phoenix.

"Hey, everybody has something that makes them puke." He said as he took out his lighter. He never really smoked, but just flicking it on and off helped him concentrate.

"You should know Mr. Tarantula Chunks." Jonathan chuckled.

"Hey, not only do you know I hate spiders, but I had some really nasty chili earlier that day." Nick said forcefully. There was a moment of silence as the two began to calm down.

"Jon, are you sure you're innocent?" Nick asked. Jonathan looked up with surprise.

"Nick…You know me. I've been your brother ever since you were born. We've been through thick and thin, and I've treated you like a complete dweesh sometimes, but still, you know I would never commit murder." Jon said with a straight face. Nick ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed.

"I know. It's just… I don't know. It's just a feeling I've had, ever since the morning when you first talked to me after all these years. But, I had it even before you called so…" The two were once again thrown into silence.

"Well, Nick, I'm going to go get some coffee and make a call. Just go help your girlfriend once she gets out of the john." Jon said as he began to walk away. Nick gave a half smile.

"OK, Jon. I will…" Nick paused as he thought about what he just said, "She's not my girlfriend!"

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Chapter Ten

"Court is back in session for the trial of Jonathan Wright," The judge's voice rang out through the courtroom as Nick, Maya, and Jonathan stepped back behind the desk, "The prosecution may now call their next witness." Edgeworth nodded.

"The prosecution would like to call Jennifer Banner to the stand!" As if on cue, up limped Jennifer. She stated her name for the court record.

"Ms. Banner, will you please tell the court what you saw?" Edgeworth said. He shot a look over to Nick, but he couldn't read it.

"Well, I was jogging through the woods when all of a sudden a car drove past. A few minutes later, I saw a tow truck drive past. Later, I saw said car in the middle of the road, which is just off the jogging path. The tire on said car was popped, and the defendant was talking to the victim. I wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying, but I watched them. The two started talking normally, and then the defendant started getting violent. Soon, they were throwing punches at each other. The victim grabbed the defendant and threw him onto the hook. After that, the victim drove away. I called the cops on my cell and didn't move a muscle while I waited for the cops to come." She finished her testimony. The judge hung his head in thought.

"Mr. Wright, you may now begin your cross-examination." He said.

"Thank you, your honor. Ms. Banner, what kind of car was it that drove past?"

"I told you yesterday! I was an orange Ferrari Enzo." At that point Edgeworth cut in.

"I have documentation proving that said car was owned by the defendant." He said as he pulled out some pieces of paper. As the judge eyed the papers, Phoenix went on with the examination.

"Are you sure the tow truck was the same one?"

"OK, let me think. Middle of the woods, tow truck…Actually, I saw eight different ones. OF COURSE IT'S THE SAME ONE!"

"OK, Ms. Banner, my final question. When did you hurt your leg?" The entire courtroom was thrown into silence at Wright's cockiness.

"Oh, just a few day ago," Was her reply.

"Was it before or after you witnessed the murder the murder?"

"It was after."

"Really? You stated that you didn't leave the spot you witnessed the murder at. Yet we visited your doctor after we talked with you, and he said that you got the cast on the day of the murder. So, what? You witnessed the murder, get interrogated by the police, and then as you're leaving the police department you trip and fall. Is that what you're saying?" Nick smirked.

"No! I broke it later." Jennifer said, beginning to sweat.

"So, you got your leg in a cast on the day of the murder, and then broke it the next day?" He said as he scratched his chin.

"No I…I meant before the murder."

"No way. You're saying that you broke your leg, then went for a jog, then witnessed the murder and got your leg in a cast. That, my dear, would either be extremely painful or impossible. Meanwhile, my theory. You broke your leg at the scene of the crime!" Nick pointed at her with his usual over dramatizing.

"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth yelled, "Are you saying the witness is, in fact, the murderer?"

"No, but if I did it wouldn't be the first time. I believe the witness injured herself while she was witnessing the 'crime'. Seeing a fight, she went to get a better viewpoint. Unfortunately, in the process, she tripped and injured her leg." Nick could tell she was about to breakdown.

"No…I…I didn't…It was before…I mean after…I…Well, Mr. Wright, you've won." Jennifer muttered.

"Now, Ms. Banner, could you tell us what you really saw?"

Jennifer sighed. "Alright, Mr. Wright. I'll tell. I saw the two people fighting but then I moved to see if I could have a better look. Unfortunately, I tripped and hurt my leg. After that, I just heard a scream and the truck driving off."

"And with no way of proving that my client is guilty, there's only one way to go Your Honor."

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Chapter Eleven

"WHOOOOOOHOOOOO!" Phoenix jumped and screamed as he walked out of court, pumping his fists in the air. Maya ran up and hugged him, cheering as well.

"Well, Nicky, it looks like you did it." Jonathan walked up to the two as he slipped on his cowboy hat.

"Hey, Jon, after this me and Maya are going to go out to dinner and celebrate," Nick said as he slid his arm around her shoulder, "Do you want to join us?" Jonathan sighed as he shook his head.

"Sorry, Nick, but I've got a meeting to go to right now. But, hey, I'll keep in touch." Jonathan gave a two finger salute and walked out of the courthouse.

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"Well, Maya, it's just you, me, the office, and an extra large pizza with everything on it." Nick said as he opened up the pizza box. He turned to hand a piece to Maya, but she seemed kind of troubled.

"What's wrong, Maya?" Nick said as he took a bit out of his own slice. Maya took her slice and bit into it.

"Well, was it just me or did Edgeworth seem to be a little…Unprepared?" She asked

"So what? Edgeworth lost his edge," Phoenix said, then whispered, "Therefore making him just worth." Both Nick and Maya laughed for a few seconds, and then broke off.

"But seriously, I've won trials against him. It doesn't make much of a difference." He followed up. That's when a young, red suited man slammed the office door and began to let out a string of curses.

"Damnit Wright! You had to get him off didn't you!? I was so close, so close, to putting that bloody bastard behind bars and you go and get him off!" Edgeworth yelled in Nick's face.

"Wow, Edgeworth. Calm down, deep breaths, stop the irrelevant cursing. What seems to be the problem?" Nick said. Edgeworth's eyebrow was twitching in anger.

"It was my chance to finally get that man behind bars, and you get him off! I could have taken one of the most notorious crime lords out, but not only is he really good, but you are his defense attorney! The reason I was losing so badly in there was because I couldn't build up a case against your brother."

"That's because he's innocent," Nick stood up and crossed his arms, "I don't know what all this crime lord crap is!" Edgeworth let out a sigh as he reached into his pocket.

"How much do you know about your brother?" He said, almost at a whisper. Phoenix sat back down in his chair.

"Not much. I lost contact with him for six or seven years. Just heard from him two days ago."

"Then, I have something you have to listen to," Edgeworth pulled a CD out of his pocket, "It's an audio file that was recorded in the courthouse. When your assistant was throwing up, Jonathan made a call. We recorded it, but someone on the other end of the line was somehow encrypting it. We were going to use it as evidence, but you got him off before we could decode it." Edgeworth slid the disk into the computer and began playing the recording.

"Hello?"

"Yeah, it's me Jonathan."

"Jonathan! Are you finally going to give us an update?"

"You know Eric is dead, Kenny. I'm even on trial for it."

"Are you sure it's smart going to prison after every crime?"

"Hey, it's my way of showing the world that I can't be caught even if I'm guilty."

"But, you're finally being prosecuted by Miles Edgeworth. He's the prodigy of the prosecutors."

"Yeah, but I've got the only person to ever beat him defending me. My brother, Phoenix Wright."

"Your brother!? He's helping us."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know the real me. That idiot is too much of a goody too shoes to join the family. I'll just have to…Court's about to go back into session, so I have to go. Once I get off, meet me at the usual spot. Bye." The recording ended.

"Wright, do you have any idea where your brother could be?" Edgeworth said as he removed the disk. Phoenix thought for a moment.

"Edgeworth, stay here. This is between me and my brother." Phoenix stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'm coming too Nick." Maya said.

"I'm willing to bet you won't listen to me if I say no."

"Nope."

"Alright, let's go."

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Chapter Twelve

Phoenix looked at his watch as the cab pulled up to the woods. 11:00 PM. Hopefully he wasn't too late. After paying the cab, the duo ran into the woods.

"Where are we going Nick?" Maya yelled as they tore past trees and rocks. Phoenix reached into his pocket and pulled out a penlight he had attached to his keys.

"I've figured it out. My brother's hiding place, the truth behind the legends of this place. It all makes sense." The rest of the run was silent until they came out into a clearing.  
The Bellsong mission literally had an earth-made moat around it. The mission was surrounded by a deep canyon. The only way to it was across an old wooden bridge. It was sturdy, but at a glance, you wouldn't want to cross it.

"You mean this is the hiding place?" Maya said as they paused across the bridge.

"All we have to do is cross this bridge and we'll find hi…" Phoenix's voice was cut off by the sound of the mission bell ringing. The two looked at each other then stepped across the rickety bridge.

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Phoenix flashed his light around as he tore apart the room, looking for any sign of Jonathan. He pushed over bookshelves,tore up dust covered paintings, looking for any kind of a hiding place.

"Nick, I think we should get out of here." Maya shivered as she spoke. Phoenix growled as slammed a door into a store room in.

"Why? We haven't found any sign of my brother!" He yelled angrily as he looked for another possible hiding spot.

"The stories about this place being haunted," She said as she began to rub her arms for warmth, "They're true. The spirits are angry. If your brother is here, odds are he's dead." Phoenix sighed.

"Are you sure he's not here?"

"Not now, at least."

"….OK, Maya. Let's go."

--------

"I can't believe we missed him." Phoenix muttered to himself as the two crossed the bridge. Maya put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright Nick. He'll be caught eventually." She tried to comfort him. At that point an evil laugh rang out in front of them.

"Unfortunately, you both are wrong." Jonathan, who was now wearing a black dress shirt and pants and a black trench coat, stepped out from behind a rock with two soldiers armed with Uzis behind him. Phoenix felt two people walk up behind him as he and Maya were restrained with their hands being held behind their backs.

"Jonathan…You little…" Phoenix could barely speak as the anger flowed through him.

"Why, Jonathan?" Maya asked as she tried to squirm out of the thug's grasp, "I don't even understand anything about the case, or what's even happened in the last few seconds!"

"Well, my dear, let me tell you," Jonathan started his speech, almost as if he had planned on this to happen, "After I got out of boot camp, I came back here, to LA. I had nothing except for the clothes on my back. So, I became a criminal. I had experience as a troublemaker, which helped me greatly. Seeing my skill, I began to make a gang, which slowly expanded into my crime empire. Now, you may be asking, 'why is a crime leader doing the dirty work like murder?' Well, all my troops agree that I am the most skilled criminal of the entire family. I always lead every heist, every murder, every crime the family commits. But some people use my power and then try to leave. Eric was one such person. He made excuses about having a wife and kids, and wanting to work as an honest man. Unfortunately, he didn't get the extent of my power. Back to this exact moment, where I have a proposition for you." Phoenix looked up with an eyebrow raised.

"I have plans for you two. I want you to work for me. I'll be able too…" Before Jonathan had finished his sentence, Phoenix wriggled his arms free and gave Jon a charging uppercut. Jon regained his balance and raised his hand as the thugs went for their guns.

"Hold it! Don't fire. I would like to talk with my brother." Jonathan ordered. The thugs lowered their guns.

"Jonathan, I would never work for a murderer like you." Phoenix said.

"You've got guts, Nick. Attacking a crime lord while surrounded by armed men, all of which are willing to kill you," Jonathan snapped and Phoenix was kicked on the back of the legs, making him fall to his legs, "At the snap of a finger." Phoenix stood back up.

"Hey, I've faced worse." Phoenix said, though he didn't know who.

"OK then, Nick, I'll make a deal with you. I'll…"

"I don't want any part in your deals."

"Let me finish. I challenge you to a duel. A fistfight to the KO. You win, I turn myself in and completely turnabout my lifestyle. I win; you work for me, and defend me every time I get in trouble." Jonathan began to circle Nick.

"You're not going to just force me?" Nick asked.

"If I just force you, you could easily turn on me," Jonathan explained, "But, a duel is a matter of honor. You would completely compromise your honor if you turned on me." Phoenix thought for a second.

"I agree, but let Maya go. She isn't part of this," Jon singled for the thugs to let her go, "Maya, get out of here." Phoenix said without his eyes leaving sight of Jonathan.

"No."

"Maya I'm your boss," Phoenix said sternly, "That was an order, not a request."

"No," Maya said again, "We're partners. This is our case. I'm as much a part of this as you are!" Phoenix grunted in anger.

"OK, the girl stays, but you let her go as soon as the fight is over." Phoenix finished his terms.

"Don't worry," Jonathan said, "Even if we let her go, we'll get to her eventually." He started his evil laugh again, then turned back to Nick.

"Now, we begin." In a flash, Jonathan was upon Nick, smacking him across the face with an elbow, then sweeping his legs out from under him. Phoenix fell to the floor before he even knew what happened.

"Come on Nick. We always used to wrestle around when we were kids. Why not now?" Nick kicked Jon in the stomach, stood back up, then grabbed Jon by the collar.

"You wanna wrestle, eh?" Phoenix let go, grabbed Jonathan's head, and slammed it down on his knee, "Then take that!" Jonathan quickly shook it off and tackled Phoenix. The two rolled around on the bridge, trying to get on top. Finally, Jonathan was able to push Phoenix back to his feet, then hopped back up to his feet. He ran up punched Nick in the gut three times then right hooked him. Phoenix, dazed, leaned up against the ropes of the bridge. Jonathan charged in, going for a final attack, but at the last second, Phoenix dodged Jonathan, so he was on the ropes. Phoenix kicked Jonathan on the back, sending him tumbling off the side of the bridge.

"Goodbye, Jonathan." He said as he stared at the figure hurtling into the darkness. But he was surprised when he saw Jonathan smiling. The figure pulled out a handgun and fired a shot, and a great pain blew through Phoenix's chest.

"Nick!" Maya yelled as she ran towards Nick, catching his body just before he hit the ground. In his fading sight he could see the thugs walking away, and he could feel Maya's warm tears soaking into his shirt.

"Nick. Don't die. Please don't die. I lo…"was the last thing he heard before everything went black.

---------

Epilogue

The first thing Phoenix noticed when he came to was the smell. It was sterile, like a hospital. He hated that smell. The second thing he noticed was Maya was in a chair next to him, crying on the bed he was laying in.

"Maya…" He muttered as he sat up, and a pain burst through his chest again. Maya looked up and hugged him.

"Nick! You're OK!" She yelled as Phoenix cringed, "Sorry!" She let go of Phoenix and sat back down in her chair.

"What happened? How did I get here?" Phoenix tried to recall the fuzzy events from his mind.

"After the fight with Jonathan, he ended up shooting you before falling into the canyon. I was able to call an ambulance, and here we are. We've been here for the past three days." She explained.

"You've been with me the entire time?" Phoenix asked.

"I had to talk the guards into letting me stay with you past visiting hours, but I never left your side," Maya said with a soft smile, which soon changed to anger, "The food here sucks!" Phoenix let out a painful chuckle.

"There's the Maya I know!" He said as he gave her a slap on the arm, and then cringed again.

"I wouldn't advise doing that," Said a doctor as he walked into the room, "Any extraneous movement will cause great pain." He began looking at the charts, and then looked back up, "Don't mind me. Just continue on with your conversation." Maya turned back to Phoenix.

"Nick, I'm…I'm sorry about what happened to your brother, but…"

"I never had a brother." Phoenix cut in.

"But what about Jo…"

"I never had a brother." Phoenix said, this time sterner with a glare. Maya sighed, and then smiled again.

"OK, Nick. Is there anything else you need?" She said. Phoenix let out a yawn.

"Well, despite the fact that I've been asleep for the past three days, I feel really tired."

"That's just the drugs. He needs his rest anyways." The doctor said as he checked the IV.

"Well, Nick, I'll stay till you fall asleep, OK." She said. Phoenix gave a slight nod and closed his eyes.

Maya looked down at Nick. He was, at least in her eyes, a hero. He had saved her so many times. And, he was willing to do anything for justice. And, she was just his boss's sister, and a bit of a screw up.

Phoenix breathing got heavy as he began to fall asleep.

"Sweet dreams Nick." Maya whispered in his ear. Just before Phoenix fell asleep, he felt a soft pressure on his cheek.

--------

Shelly de Killer sat at a table in the back of the dark, smoky atmosphere of the bar, waiting for his client. Could it be the man that had walked in now? The man had on a tuxedo and had his black hair slicked back. He walked up to the table and sat down.

"Death comes knocking." Shelly said.

"But, at whose doorstep?"

"Not mine, I assure you."

"But death will eventually come to those who give it." Shelly raised an eyebrow.

"Nice choice of words so I would know it was you. I hope they don't imply anything."

"Of course not." His client chuckled.

"So, who is it you want me to kill?" Shelly pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offered his client one. The client grabbed one and lit it.

"Oh, I have plenty of people to kill, but not now. I just want you to work for me."

"Sir, that's what I'm planning on doing."

"But not the way you planned. I want to be the boss of you. I decide what hits you do, and don't take any portion of your pay. In fact, I'll pay you double if you work for me. You see, a building what one would call an army. In a few years time, I should be able to control this city. Then, I might spread further."

"World domination by first conquering a town?"

"Hey, everyone starts somewhere." Shelly considered the offer he was given.

"Deal. By the way, I don't think you told me your name over the phone when we were setting up the meeting."

"The name," The client said, "Is Wr…Hyde. Jonathan Hyde."


End file.
